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Building backyard features

Tricia

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When I was in Michigan, this kid (not a kid anymore) was building little bike features in his yard to play on, which was super fun!
I have a few timbers in our back yard to play around with and was thinking about making a few to get some of my old skills back.

Here are some he was building
Main run entrance with a little jump
1929682_67472155017_3346_n.jpg

Teeter totter
1929682_67472150017_2973_n.jpg

Logg rollover a little gully
1929682_67472160017_3656_n.jpg

Entering the trees with some obstacles
1929682_67472165017_3999_n.jpg

Exiting the trees with a couple jump options.
1929682_67472170017_4343_n.jpg

I don't plan on building any dirt features because we're in the high dessert and its not good dirt to dig.
I would like to build a little bridge (or rail) to get my head back in the game for stuff like that. I'm thinking I need a 10" or 12" wide plank to start and work my way down to 6"
 
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Tricia

Tricia

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Here are the materials I have to work with in my back yard.

IMG_3524.JPG

I started with a basic hop up and over yesterday.
IMG_3525.JPG
 

crgildart

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We had a sweet BMX track in the fields by my house growing up that attracted kids from miles around. There was one other popular track we knew of a couple miles across town we'd ride to occasionally. I made a track in the woods near a school when I moved to Long Island, but it didn't catch on.

These days I save time and strength and just buy prefab features..

hqdefault.jpg


That, and I don't have enough back yard to make it worthwhile. If I had a decent hill on the property I would probably build a medium jump for bikes in summer and snow days in winter
 
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Tricia

Tricia

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I want to get back to the rider I was in this shot.
10400612_56563395017_9057_n.jpg
 

David Chaus

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Is that for landings after getting some big air?
 

skibob

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I got to play in David, Mary, and Frank Beddor III's backyard pool for that a couple decades ago..

LL
Very high DIN, yes? :roflmao:

In the midwest, we never did this but we did tie a long rope to somebody's little brother's bike and go sailing off a homemade ramp into the lake. You had to hold the rope out away from the bike while steering with one hand. And then kind of kick the bike away as you separated . . . Seems sketchy now. Seemed TOTALLY reasonable at the time . . .

We also used to wet down steep river banks and haul kayaks (sit in) up the bank. Two friends hold while you climb in and then they give you a shove. Loads of fun, compete to see who can stay upright when you hit the river. One very large guy found out the hard way that you shouldn't do this on the inside bank of a sharp bend. Got the kayak stuck in the opposite bank. But also ruptured the hull. So it started to sink. Stuck in the bank, in the fastest part of the river. And he started to panic and couldn't get out. And we couldn't swim to him easily or hold on to help once we did (not sure what we were going to do to help him anyway?). He eventually did get out of the kayak, which was a total loss. Ah, those were the days.
 

crgildart

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Very high DIN, yes? :roflmao:

In the midwest, we never did this but .

That's actually Lake Minnetonka just outside of Minneapolis. There were also a couple water ramps in Wisconsin I heard about but never saw first hand.
 

skibob

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That's actually Lake Minnetonka just outside of Minneapolis. There were also a couple water ramps in Wisconsin I heard about but never saw first hand.
Now, having grown up there, you don't REALLY think Minnesota is in the midwest do you? I had a close friend who lived there, and a long-distance relationship with one of his wife's best friends that took me to Minneapolis a lot. One of the top 10 cities in the US in my opinion. But MN, culturally, is all its own. As friendly as the midwest, but with its own kind of sophistication and independence. Anyplace that can produce Prince and Jesse Ventura . . . is, well, unique :beercheer:
 
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crgildart

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I never understood why anything close to the Mississippi, or east of it could be called "midwest". Looking at a map I'd put the vertical rack of states just right of California, Oregon, and Washington over to the Dakotas as "midwest". Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio I would put as just "central" or "north central and south central.
 

cantunamunch

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I never understood why anything close to the Mississippi, or east of it could be called "midwest". Looking at a map I'd put the vertical rack of states just right of California, Oregon, and Washington over to the Dakotas as "midwest". Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio I would put as just "central" or "north central and south central.

*shrug* the term 'Midwest' came into use before the Dakotas, Montana, Washington, Idaho, New Mexico, Arizona or Utah became states. If the only truly western states on the map are Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, California, then the term makes a lot of sense.
 
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crgildart

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*shrug* the term 'Midwest' came into use before the Dakotas, Montana, Washington, Idaho, New Mexico, Arizona or Utah became states. If the only truly western states on the map are Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, California, then the term makes a lot of sense.
So it's obsolete according to the current map, present context. Why is nothing in the US referred to as "mid east"?:duck:
 

cantunamunch

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So it's obsolete according to the current map, present context. Why is nothing in the US referred to as "mid east"?:duck:

Not at all obsolete - because it is used in the accepted meaning.

Just like 'bank' is used in the accepted meaning with no benches nearby, just like 'viscous' is used in the current meaning without glue, just like 'lantern' is used in the accepted meaning even if it's not made of horn...
 

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